Liquid Processing Apparatus and Liquid Processing Method

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a liquid processing apparatus and a liquid processing method that can advance a plurality of nozzle supporting arms into a processing chamber. The liquid processing apparatus includes a processing chamber, a nozzle configured to supply a fluid to a substrate held by a substrate holding unit, a nozzle supporting arm configured to support the nozzle, and an arm standby unit installed adjacent to the processing chamber and configured for the nozzle supporting arm retreating from the processing chamber to stand by. In the liquid processing apparatus, a plurality of nozzle supporting arms are installed and one nozzle supporting arm has a different height level from the other nozzle supporting arms.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2011-008047, filed on Jan. 18, 2011 with the JapanesePatent Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a liquid processing apparatus and aliquid processing method that perform a liquid processing such ascleaning, etching, plating, or developing of a substrate by supplying aprocessing liquid to the substrate while rotating the substrate held ina horizontal state.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, various types of apparatuses are knows as a liquidprocessing apparatus that performs a liquid processing such as cleaning,etching, plating, or developing of a substrate such as a semiconductorwafer (hereinafter, also referred to as a wafer) by supplying aprocessing liquid to a surface or a rear surface of the substrate whilerotating the substrate held in a horizontal state. See, for example,Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-94525 which discloses asingle wafer type liquid processing apparatus in which the processingliquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate rotated and held bythe spin chuck, thereby processing the substrate one by one. In thesingle wafer type liquid processing apparatus, a technology has beenknown where a fan filter unit (FFU) is installed at an upper side of aprocessing chamber to deliver a gas such as nitrogen (N₂ gas) or cleanair from the FFU to the processing chamber in a down-flow mode.

A configuration of the liquid processing apparatus where the FFU isinstalled at an upper side of a processing chamber will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating aschematic configuration of a conventional liquid processing apparatusand FIG. 12 is a plan view of the conventional liquid processingapparatus shown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, theconventional liquid processing apparatus 200 includes a processingchamber (chamber) 210 in which a wafer W is received and liquidprocessing of received wafer W is performed. As shown in FIGS. 11 and12, a holding unit 220 that holds and rotates wafer W is installed inprocessing chamber 210, and a cup 230 is disposed around holding unit220. In conventional liquid processing apparatus 200, a nozzle 240 thatsupplies a processing liquid from an upper side of cup 230 to wafer Wheld by holding unit 220, and an arm 241 that supports nozzle 240 areinstalled in processing chamber 210. An arm supporting portion 242 whichextends substantially vertically is installed at arm 241 to support arm241. Moreover, arm supporting portion 242 is rotated by a drivingmechanism (not shown) forwardly and reversely. As a result, arm 241 isrotatable about arm supporting portion 242 forwardly and reversely, andis rotatably moved about arm supporting portion 242 between an advanceposition (see a solid line in FIG. 12) where a processing liquid issupplied to a wafer W held by holding unit 220 and a retreat position(see an alternate long and two short dashes line in FIG. 12) where arm241 is retreated from cup 230 (see an arrow in FIG. 12).

As shown in FIG. 11, a fan filter unit (FFU) 250 is installed at theupper side of processing chamber 210, and gas such as nitrogen (N₂ gas)or clean air is delivered from FFU 250 to processing chamber 210 in adown-flow mode at all times. An exhaust unit 260 is provided at thebottom of processing chamber 210 and an atmosphere in processing chamber210 is exhausted through exhaust unit 260. As described above, gas suchas clean air is delivered from FFU 250 to processing chamber 210 in thedown-flow mode and the gas is exhausted through exhaust unit 260 tosubstitute the atmosphere in processing chamber 210.

SUMMARY

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a liquidprocessing apparatus, including: a processing chamber having a substrateholding unit configured to hold a substrate and a cup disposed aroundthe substrate holding unit; a nozzle configured to supply a fluid to thesubstrate held by the substrate holding unit; a nozzle supporting armconfigured to support the nozzle and be movable horizontally between anadvance position advancing into the processing chamber and a retreatposition retreating from the processing chamber; an arm standby unitinstalled adjacent to the processing chamber and configured for thenozzle supporting arm retreating from the processing chamber to standby; and a wall installed between the processing chamber and the armstandby unit to extend vertically, and a plurality of nozzle supportingarms are installed and at least one nozzle supporting arm has adifferent height level from other nozzle supporting arms.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a liquid processing system including a liquidprocessing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure when viewed from above.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of theliquid processing apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the liquid processing apparatus shown in FIG.2.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view specifically illustratinga configuration of the liquid processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 and adiagram illustrating a state in which a cup peripheral case is at alower position.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating theconfiguration of the liquid processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 indetail and a diagram illustrating a state in which the cup peripheralcase is at an upper position.

FIG. 6A(a) is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view illustratinga configuration of a holding member installed on a holding plate in theliquid processing apparatus shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6A(b) is an enlargedlongitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a state when a lift-pinplate moves downward from the state shown in FIG. 6A(a), and FIG. 6A(c)is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a statewhen the lift-pin plate moves further downward from the state shown inFIG. 6A(b).

FIG. 6B is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the cupperipheral case in the liquid processing apparatus shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a processing chamber and sixnozzle supporting arms in the liquid processing apparatus shown in FIG.2.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the nozzle supporting armshown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of each of the nozzlesupporting arms shown in FIG. 7 viewed toward the processing chamberfrom the rear side of the nozzle supporting arms.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view specifically illustrating aconfiguration of the nozzle supporting arm shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of aconventional liquid processing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the conventional liquid processing apparatusshown in FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawing, which form a part hereof. The illustrativeembodiments described in the detailed description, drawing, and claimsare not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, andother changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe subject matter presented here.

In conventional liquid processing apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 11 and12, arm 241 that supports nozzle 240 or arm supporting portion 242 thatsupports arm 241 is installed in processing chamber 210. Herein, inconventional liquid processing apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, acontamination attached to arm 241 may be dropped and attached to wafer Win processing chamber 210. When a chemical liquid are scattered andattached to arm 241 at the time of liquid-processing of wafer W inprocessing chamber 210, the chemical liquid may remain on arm 241 and anegative influence such as contamination of wafer W may be exerted by anatmosphere of the remaining chemical liquid during subsequent processingof wafer W.

The present disclosure has been made in an effort to provide a liquidprocessing apparatus and a liquid processing method in which a scatteredchemical liquid may be prevented from being attached to a nozzlesupporting arm when performing a liquid processing of a substrate byretreating the nozzle supporting arm that supports a nozzle from aprocessing chamber and standing by in an arm standby unit, and aplurality of nozzle supporting arms may be advanced into the processingchamber.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a liquidprocessing apparatus, including: a processing chamber having a substrateholding unit configured to hold a substrate and a cup disposed aroundthe substrate holding unit; a nozzle configured to supply a fluid to thesubstrate held by the substrate holding unit; a nozzle supporting armconfigured to support the nozzle and be movable horizontally between anadvance position advancing into the processing chamber and a retreatposition retreating from the processing chamber; an arm standby unitinstalled adjacent to the processing chamber and configured for thenozzle supporting arm retreating from the processing chamber to standby; and a wall installed between the processing chamber and the armstandby unit to extend vertically, and a plurality of nozzle supportingarms are installed and at least one nozzle supporting arm has adifferent height level from other nozzle supporting arms.

According to the liquid processing apparatus, since the plurality ofnozzle supporting arms are installed and at least one nozzle supportingarm has a different height level from other nozzle supporting arms, twoor more nozzle supporting arms can be prevented from colliding with eachother even though the two or more nozzle supporting arms havingdifferent height levels advance into the processing chamber.

In the liquid processing apparatus of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the plurality of nozzle supporting arms havingdifferent height levels may advance into the processing chambersimultaneously.

Specifically, a first nozzle supporting arm that supports a first nozzlefor supplying a first fluid may have a different height level from asecond nozzle supporting arm that supports a second nozzle for supplyinga second fluid of a different type from the first fluid, and when thesecond fluid is supplied to a location on a substrate to which the firstfluid is supplied after the first fluid has been supplied to thesubstrate held by the substrate holding unit, the first nozzlesupporting arm and the second nozzle supporting arm may advance into theprocessing chamber simultaneously.

In this case, the first fluid may be IPA, the second fluid may be gas,and the IPA may be supplied to the substrate held by the substrateholding unit as the first fluid, and thereafter, the gas may be suppliedas the second fluid to a location on the substrate to which the IPA issupplied to dry the substrate.

A first nozzle supporting arm that supports a first nozzle for supplyinga first fluid has a different height level from a second nozzlesupporting arm that supports a second nozzle for supplying a secondfluid of a different type from the first fluid, and when the secondfluid is supplied to a substrate continuously after the first fluid hasbeen supplied to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, thefirst nozzle supporting arm and the second nozzle supporting arm mayadvance into the processing chamber simultaneously.

In this case, the first fluid may be a chemical liquid and the secondfluid may be water, and the chemical liquid and the water aresuccessively supplied to the substrate held by the substrate holdingunit so that the chemical liquid processing and the rinsing processingare performed successively with the substrate.

In the liquid processing apparatus of the present disclosure, eachnozzle supporting arm may be configured to linearly move between theinside of the processing chamber and the arm standby unit.

Another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a liquidprocessing method, including: holding a substrate by a substrate holdingunit installed in a processing chamber; advancing a nozzle supportingarm that supports a nozzle into the processing chamber; and supplying afluid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit by using thenozzle of the nozzle supporting arm that advances into the processingchamber, and a plurality of nozzle supporting arms are installed and afirst nozzle supporting arm that supports a first nozzle for supplying afirst fluid has a different height level from a second nozzle supportingarm that supports a second nozzle for supplying a second fluid of adifferent type from the first fluid, and when the first fluid issupplied to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, the firstnozzle supporting arm and the second nozzle supporting arm advance intothe processing chamber simultaneously so that the second nozzle ispositioned around a fluid discharging position by the first nozzle.

According to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, theliquid processing apparatus and the liquid processing method can allowthe plurality of nozzle supporting arms to advance into the processingchamber.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 to 10illustrate a liquid processing apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. More specifically, FIG. 1 is aplan view of a liquid processing system including a liquid processingapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosurewhen viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a schematicconfiguration of the liquid processing apparatus according to theexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3 is a sideview illustrating the schematic configuration of the liquid processingapparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIGS. 4 and 5 are longitudinalcross-sectional views illustrating the configuration of the liquidprocessing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 in detail. FIG. 6A is an enlargedlongitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of aholding member installed on a holding plate in the liquid processingapparatus shown in, for example, FIG. 4, and FIG. 6B is a perspectiveview illustrating a configuration of the cup peripheral case in theliquid processing apparatus shown in, for example, FIG. 4. FIGS. 7 to 10are views illustrating a configuration of a nozzle supporting arminstalled in the liquid processing apparatus shown in, for example, FIG.2.

First, referring to FIG. 1, the liquid processing system including theliquid processing apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the liquidprocessing system includes a placing table 101 configured to place acarrier thereon, in which the carrier receives a substrate W such as asemiconductor wafer (hereinafter, also referred to as a wafer W) as asubstrate to be processed from the outside, a transfer arm 102configured to extract wafer W received in the carrier, a rack unit 103configured to mount wafer W extracted by transfer arm 102, and atransfer arm 104 configured to receive wafer W placed on rack unit 103and transfers wafer W into a liquid processing apparatus 10. As shown inFIG. 1, in the liquid processing system, a plurality of (four in theexemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1) liquid processing apparatuses 10are installed.

Next, a schematic configuration of liquid processing apparatus 10according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, liquid processing apparatus 10 according tothe exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a processingchamber (chamber) 20 in which wafer W is received and liquid processingof received wafer W is performed. As shown in FIG. 3, a holding unit(substrate holding unit) 21 that holds and rotates wafer W horizontallyis installed in processing chamber 20 and a ring-shaped rotational cup40 is disposed around holding unit 21. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a cupperipheral case 50 having a cylindrical shape is disposed aroundrotational cup 40 in processing chamber 20. As described below, cupperipheral case 50 may be elevated/descended according to the processingstatus of wafer W. Configurations of holding unit 21, rotational cup 40,and cup peripheral case 50 will be described below in detail.

In liquid processing apparatus 10, a nozzle 82 a that supplies a fluidsuch as a processing liquid or N₂ gas from the upper side of wafer W towafer W held by holding unit 21 and a nozzle supporting arm 82 thatsupports nozzle 82 a are installed. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of(specifically, for example, six) nozzle supporting arms 82 are installedin a one liquid processing apparatus 10 and nozzle 82 a is installed atthe front end of each nozzle supporting arm 82. As shown in FIG. 3, anarm supporting unit 84 is installed at each of nozzle supporting arms 82and each arm supporting unit 84 is configured to be driven in a left andright direction in FIG. 3 by an arm driving mechanism 85 to be describedbelow. Therefore, each of nozzle supporting arms 82 is rectilinearlymoved in a horizontal direction between an advance position where nozzle82 a advances into processing chamber 20 and a retreat position wherenozzle 82 a retreats from processing chamber 20 (see arrows indicated oneach of nozzle supporting arms 82 in FIGS. 2 and 3). As shown in FIG. 3,a surface processing liquid supplying pipe 82 m is installed in each ofnozzle supporting arms 82 and each of surface processing liquidsupplying pipes 82 m is connected to a surface processing liquidsupplying unit 89. The fluid such as the processing liquid or N₂ gas issupplied to nozzle 82 a of each of nozzle supporting arms 82 fromsurface processing liquid supplying unit 89 through each of surfaceprocessing liquid supplying pipes 82 m.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in liquid processing apparatus 10, an armstandby unit 80 is installed adjacent to processing chamber 20. Nozzlesupporting arm 82 that has retreated from processing chamber 20 standsby in arm standby unit 80. A wall 90 which is extended in a verticaldirection is installed between arm standby unit 80 and processingchamber 20. Wall 90 includes an arm cleaning unit 88 provided with anopening 88 p through which each of nozzle supporting arms 82 can pass,respectively. Each of nozzle supporting arms 82 is cleaned by armcleaning unit 88. A configuration of arm cleaning unit 88 will bedescribed below in detail.

As shown in FIG. 3, a fan filter unit (FFU) 70 is installed at the upperside of processing chamber 20 and gas such as N₂ gas (nitrogen gas) orclean air is delivered to processing chamber 20 from FFU 70 in adown-flow mode. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an exhaust unit 54 isinstalled inside cup peripheral case 50 on the bottom of processingchamber 20, and an atmosphere in processing chamber 20 is exhausted byexhaust unit 54. As described above, the gas such as clean air isdelivered to processing chamber 20 from FFU 70 in the down-flow mode andthe gas is exhausted by exhaust unit 54 to substitute the atmosphere inprocessing chamber 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an exhaust unit 56 is installed outside cupperipheral case 50 on the bottom of processing chamber 20 and theatmosphere in processing chamber 20 is exhausted by exhaust unit 56. Anatmosphere outside cup peripheral case 50 in processing chamber 20 maybe exhausted by exhaust unit 56. Specifically, exhaust unit inhibits anatmosphere in arm standby unit 80 from traveling into cup peripheralcase 50. Exhaust unit 56 inhibits the atmosphere in cup peripheral case50 from traveling to arm standby unit 80.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an exhaust unit 58 is installed on the bottomof arm standby unit 80 and the atmosphere in arm standby unit 80 isexhausted by exhaust unit 58. Specifically, it is possible to expelparticles generated from an arm driving mechanism 85 (to be describedbelow) for driving each of nozzle supporting arms 82 by exhaust unit 58.

As shown in FIG. 2, maintenance shutters 60 and 62 are installed atentrances of processing chamber 20 and arm standby unit 80 of liquidprocessing apparatus 10, respectively. Maintenance shutters 60 and 62are installed in processing chamber 20 and arm standby unit 80,respectively, to maintain devices in processing chamber 20 or armstandby unit 80 individually. Even while wafer W is being processed inprocessing chamber 20, the devices in arm standby unit 80 may bemaintained by opening shutter 62.

As shown in FIG. 2, an opening 94 a for carrying in/out wafer W to/fromprocessing chamber 20 by transfer arm 104 is provided on a side wall ofliquid processing apparatus 10, and a shutter 94 for opening/closingopening 94 a is installed in opening 94 a.

In liquid processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2, a region inside cupperipheral case 50 in processing chamber 20 is under minute positivepressure compared to a clean room, while a region outside cup peripheralcase 50 in processing chamber 20 is under minute negative pressurecompared to the clean room. As a result, in processing chamber 20, theatmospheric pressure of the region inside cup peripheral case 50 islarger than the atmospheric pressure of the region outside cupperipheral case 50.

Next, the configuration of liquid processing apparatus 10 shown in FIGS.2 and 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, holding unit 21 includes a disk-shapedholding plate 26 that supports wafer W and a disk-shaped lift-pin plate22 installed at an upper side of holding plate 26. Three lift pins 23that support wafer W from below are installed on the top surface oflift-pin plate 22 with equal spacing in a circumferential direction. InFIGS. 4 and 5, only two lift pins 23 are shown. A piston mechanism 24 isinstalled on lift-pin plate 22 and lift-pin plate 22 iselevated/descended by piston mechanism 24. More specifically, when waferW is put on lift pins 23 or wafer W is extracted from lift pins 23 bytransfer arm 104 (see FIG. 1), lift-pin plate 22 is moved upwardly froma position shown in, for example, FIG. 4 by piston mechanism 24 toposition lift-pin plate 22 above rotational cup 40. Meanwhile, whenwafer W is liquid-processed in processing chamber 20, lift-pin plate 22is moved to a lower position shown in, for example, FIG. 4 by pistonmechanism 24 to position rotational cup 40 around wafer W.

Three holding members 25 that support wafer W at lateral sides areinstalled on holding plate 26 with equal spacing in the circumferentialdirection. In FIGS. 4 and 5, only two holding members 25 are shown. Whenlift-pin plate 22 is moved from the upper position to the lower positionshown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each of holding members 25 supports wafer W onlift pins 23 and makes wafer W slightly separated from lift pins 23.

The configurations of lift-pin plate 22 and holding plate 26 will bedescribed in more detail with reference to FIG. 6A. In FIG. 6A, (a) is adiagram illustrating a state while lift-pin plate 22 moves from theupper position to the lower position shown in, for example, FIG. 4, (b)is a diagram illustrating a state when lift-pin plate 22 moves downwardfrom the state shown in (a), and (c) is a diagram illustrating a statewhen lift-pin plate 22 moves further downward from the state shown in(b) to reach the lower position shown in, for example, FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 6A, holding member 25 is pivotably supported on holdingplate 26 through a shaft 25 a. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, abearing part 26 a is attached to holding plate 26 and shaft 25 a isreceived in a bearing hole 26 b installed in bearing part 26 a. Bearinghole 26 b is configured by an elongate hole that extends horizontallyand shaft 25 a of holding member 25 may move horizontally along bearinghole 26 b. Therefore, holding member 25 may swing around shaft 25 areceived in bearing hole 26 b of bearing part 26 a.

A spring member 25 d such as a torsion spring is wound on shaft 25 a ofholding member 25. Spring member 25 d applies to holding member 25 forceto rotate holding member 25 around shaft 25 a in a clockwise directionin FIG. 6A. As a result, when no force is applied to holding member 25,holding member 25 is inclined to holding plate 26, and as a result, asupport portion 25 b (to be described below) of holding member 25 tosupport wafer W from the side is distant from the center of holdingplate 26.

A linear part extends from spring member 25 d wound on shaft 25 a andthe linear part is locked onto an inner wall surface 26 c of bearingpart 26 a to restore shaft 25 a toward the center of holing plate 26.Therefore, shaft 25 a is continuously pressed toward the center ofholding plate 26 (that is, toward the left direction in FIG. 6A) by thelinear part of spring member 25 d. As a result, when wafer W having arelatively small diameter is held by holding member 25, shaft 25 a ispositioned at a position (that is, a left position in FIG. 6A) inbearing hole 26 b adjacent to the center of holding plate 26, as shownin FIG. 6A. Meanwhile, when wafer W having a relatively large diameteris held by holding member 25, shaft 25 a is moved in a right directionfrom the position shown in FIG. 6A along bearing hole 26 b against theforce by the linear part of spring member 25 d. The size of the diameterof wafer W represents the size of the diameter of wafer W within anallowable size error.

Holding member 25 includes a support part 25 b that supports wafer Wfrom the lateral side and a pressed member 25 c installed at an oppositeside to support part 25 b with respect to shaft 25 a. Pressed member 25c is installed between lift-pin plate 22 and holding plate 26 andpressed member 25 c is pressed downward by the bottom surface ofcorresponding lift-pin plate 22 when lift-pin plate 22 is positioned atthe lower position or a position adjacent thereto as shown in FIG. 6A.

As shown in FIG. 6A, when lift-pin plate 22 is moved from the upperposition to the lower position, pressed member 25 c is pressed downwardby the bottom surface of corresponding lift-pin plate 22, such thatholding member 25 rotates in a counterclockwise direction (an arrowdirection in FIG. 6A) in FIG. 6A around shaft 25 a. Holding member 25rotates around shaft 25 a, such that support part 25 b is moved towardwafer W from the lateral side of wafer W. As a result, when lift-pinplate 22 is reached to the lower position, wafer W is supported from thelateral side by holding member 25 as shown in FIG. 6A(c). Herein, asshown in FIG. 6A(c), when wafer W is supported from the lateral side byholding member 25, wafer W is separated from the front end of lift pin23 to the upper side to float above lift pin 23. As described above,according to the size of wafer W, shaft 25 a may be moved in the rightdirection from the position shown in FIG. 6A along bearing hole 26 bagainst the force by the linear part of spring member 25 d. As a result,even when wafer W having a relatively large size is supported by holdingmember 25, holding member 25 is movable horizontally, and as a result,holding member 25 may support wafer W from the lateral side withoutdeforming or damaging of wafer W.

Through-holes are formed at the centers of lift-pin plate 22 and holdingplate 26 respectively, and a processing liquid supplying pipe 28 isinstalled to pass through the through-holes. Processing liquid supplyingpipe 28 supplies a processing liquid such as a chemical liquid ordeionized water to a rear surface of wafer W held by each of holdingmembers 25 of holding plate 26. Processing liquid supplying pipe 28 mayelevate/descend by being interlocked with lift-pin plate 22. A head part28 a is formed at an upper end of processing liquid supplying pipe 28 toclose the through hole of lift pin plate 22. As shown in FIG. 4,processing liquid supplying unit 29 is connected to processing liquidsupplying pipe 28 and the processing liquid is supplied to processingliquid supplying pipe 28 by processing liquid supplying unit 29.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a ring-shaped rotational cup 40 is disposedaround holding unit 21. Rotational cup 40 is attached to holding plate26 and is rotated integrally with holding plate 26. More specifically,rotational cup 40 is installed to surround wafer W supported by each ofholding members 25 of holding plate 26 from the lateral sides andreceives the processing liquid laterally scattered from the wafer W whenwafer W is liquid-processed.

A drain cup 42, a first guide cup 43, a second guide cup 44, and a thirdguide cup 45 are installed in sequence from above around rotational cup40. Drain cup 42 and each of guide cups 43, 44, and 45 are formed in aring shape. Herein, drain cup 42 is fixed in processing chamber 20.Meanwhile, elevating/descending cylinders (not shown) are connected toeach of guide cups 43, 44, and 45 respectively, and guide cups 43, 44,and 45 may be independently elevated/descended by correspondingelevating/descending cylinders.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a first processing liquid recovering tank 46a, a second processing liquid recovering tank 46 b, a third processingliquid recovering tank 46 c, and a fourth processing liquid recoveringtank 46 d are installed at lower sides of drain cup 42 or each of guidecups 43, 44, and 45, respectively. The processing liquid laterallyscattered from wafer W during the liquid processing of wafer W isselectively delivered to any one of four processing liquid recoveringtanks 46 a, 46 b, 46 c, and 46 d according to vertical positions of eachof guide cups 43, 44, and 45 based on the type of the processing liquid.Specifically, when all guide cups 43, 44, and 45 are disposed at anupper position (the state as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), the processingliquid laterally scattered from wafer W is delivered to fourthprocessing liquid recovering tank 46 d. Meanwhile, when only third guidecup 45 is at a lower position, the processing liquid laterally scatteredfrom wafer W is delivered to third processing liquid recovering tank 46c. When second and third guide cups 44 and 45 are disposed at the lowerposition, the processing liquid laterally scattered from wafer W isdelivered to second processing liquid recovering tank 46 b. When allguide cups 43, 44, and 45 are at the lower position, the processingliquid laterally scattered from wafer W is delivered to first processingliquid recovering tank 46 a.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an exhaust unit 48 is installed at inner sideof fourth processing liquid recovering tank 46 d. The vertical positionsof guide cups 43, 44, and 45 become predetermined positions, such thatan atmosphere around wafer W is exhausted by exhaust unit 48.

In liquid processing apparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, cup peripheral case 50 is installed around drain cup42 or guide cups 43, 44, and 45 in processing chamber 20. Cup peripheralcase 50 may be elevated/descended between a lower position as shown inFIG. 4 and an upper position as shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS. 2 and3, an opening 50 m through which nozzle supporting arm 82 can pass isprovided on cup peripheral case 50. When cup peripheral case 50 is atthe upper position as shown in FIG. 5, the region inside cup peripheralcase 50 is isolated from the outside.

The configuration of cup peripheral case 50 will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 6B. FIG. 6B is a perspective view illustratingthe configuration of cup peripheral case 50. As shown in FIG. 6B,openings 50 m through which nozzle supporting arms 82 can pass areprovided on the side of cup peripheral case 50 according to the numberof nozzle supporting arms 82 (for example, when the number of nozzlesupporting arms 82 is six, six openings 50 m are provided). Supportmembers 50 a that support cup peripheral case 50 are connected to theupper portion of cup peripheral case 50 and driving mechanisms 50 b thatelevate/descend support members 50 a are installed in support member 50a. Support members 50 a are elevated/descended by driving mechanisms 50b, and as a result, cup peripheral case 50 supported by support members50 a is also elevated/descended.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a guide member 51 is attached to FFU 70. Whencup peripheral case 50 is disposed at the upper position as shown inFIG. 5, guide member 51 is placed to be positioned at a narrow distanceon the inward side from cup peripheral case 50. In liquid processingapparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, whencup peripheral case 50 is disposed at the upper position as shown inFIG. 5, the atmospheric pressure inside cup peripheral case 50 is largerthan the atmospheric pressure outside cup outer peripheral case 50.Therefore, when cup peripheral case 50 is disposed at the upperposition, a down-flow gas in processing chamber 20 generated by FFU 70is guided from the inside of cup peripheral case 50 to the outsidethereof around the upper end of cup peripheral case 50 by guide member51.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a cleaning unit 52 that cleans cup peripheralcase 50 is installed in processing chamber 20. Cleaning unit 52 has astorage part 52 a that receives a cleaning liquid such as deionizedwater and when cup peripheral case 50 is disposed at the lower positionas shown in FIG. 4, cup peripheral case 50 is immersed in the cleaningliquid stored in storage part 52 a. Cup peripheral case 50 is immersedin the cleaning liquid stored in storage part 52 a, and as a result,cleaning unit 52 cleans cup peripheral case 50. As the cleaning liquidstored in storage part 52 a, for example, deionized water having a roomtemperature or higher, preferably 40° C. or higher, and more preferably60° C. or higher is used. When the temperature of the cleaning liquidstored in storage part 52 a is high, a cleaning effect on cup peripheralcase 50 is further increased.

As shown in FIG. 4, when cup peripheral case 50 is at the lowerposition, most of cup peripheral case 50 is immersed in the cleaningliquid reserved in reserving part 52 a. As shown in FIG. 5, even whencup peripheral case 50 is at the upper position, a lower part of cupperipheral case 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid reserved inreserving part 52 a. As a result, when cup peripheral case 50 is at theupper position, water sealing is performed between the cleaning liquidreserved in reserving part 52 a and the lower part of cup peripheralcase 50 and a space between the upper part of cup peripheral case 50 andguide member 51 is narrowed, and as a result, the inner area of cupperipheral case 50 may be isolated from the outside.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, exhaust unit 54 that exhausts the atmospherein processing chamber 20 is installed inside cleaning unit 52 and anexhaust unit 56 that exhausts the atmosphere in processing chamber 20 isinstalled outside cleaning unit 52. By installing exhaust units 54 and56, all the atmosphere in processing chamber 20 can be exhausted byexhaust units 54 and 56 when cup peripheral case 50 is at the lowerposition as shown in FIG. 4. Meanwhile, when cup peripheral case 50 isdisposed at the upper position as shown in FIG. 5, the region inside cupperipheral case 50 is isolated from the outside, and as a result, theatmosphere inside cup peripheral case 50 can be exhausted by exhaustunit 54 and the atmosphere outside cup peripheral case 50 can beexhausted by exhaust unit 56.

As described above, in the exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the plurality of (specifically, for example, six) nozzlesupporting arms 82 are installed in one liquid processing apparatus 10and nozzles 82 a are installed at the front ends of each of nozzlesupporting arms 82, respectively. Specifically, nozzles 82 a supply afirst chemical liquid (for example, an acid chemical liquid), a secondchemical liquid (for example, an alkaline chemical liquid), deionizedwater, N₂ gas, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and mist of deionized water tothe top surface of wafer W, respectively.

Hereinafter, the configuration of nozzle supporting arm 82 in theexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 10. Herein, FIG. 7 is a perspectiveview illustrating processing chamber 20 and six nozzle supporting arms82 p to 82 u in liquid processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG.8 is an enlarged perspective view of each of nozzle supporting arms 82 pto 82 u shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating aconfiguration when each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u shown inFIG. 7 is viewed toward processing chamber 20 from the rear side ofnozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u, and FIG. 10 is a lateralcross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of each of nozzlesupporting arms 82 p to 82 u shown in FIG. 7 in detail.

As shown in FIG. 7, six nozzle supporting arms 82 are constituted, forexample, by a deionized water supplying arm 82 p, a first chemicalliquid supplying arm 82 q, an N₂ gas supplying arm 82 r, a secondchemical liquid supplying arm 82 s, a mist of deionized water supplyingarm 82 t, and an IPA supplying arm 82 u. As described above, nozzles 82a are installed at the front ends of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82u. Therefore, deionized water is supplied to the top surface of wafer Wthrough nozzle 82 a installed at the front end of deionized watersupplying arm 82 p, the first chemical liquid (specifically, forexample, the acid chemical liquid) is supplied to the top surface ofwafer W through nozzle 82 a installed at the front end of first chemicalliquid supplying arm 82 q, and N₂ gas is supplied to the top surface ofwafer W through nozzle 82 a installed at the front end of N₂ gassupplying arm 82 r. Further, the second chemical liquid (specifically,for example, the alkaline chemical liquid) is supplied to the topsurface of wafer W through nozzle 82 a installed at the front end ofsecond chemical liquid supplying arm 82 s, mist of deionized water issupplied to the top surface of wafer W through nozzle 82 a installed atthe front end of mist of deionized water supplying arm 82 t, and IPA issupplied to the top surface of wafer W through nozzle 82 a installed atthe front end of IPA supplying arm 82 u.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, an arm driving mechanism 85 thatrectilinearly moves nozzle supporting arm 82 is installed in each ofnozzle supporting arms 82. Arm driving mechanism 85 includes a motor 85a attached to a base member 85 d and rotating forwardly and reversely, apulley 85 b attached to base member 85 d to face motor 85 a, acirculation belt 85 c wound on motor 85 a and pulley 85 b, and a beltattachment member 85 e attached to circulation belt 85 c. Herein, beltattachment member 85 e is attached to the lower part of arm supportingunit 84 that supports nozzle supporting arm 82, and belt attachmentmember 85 e and arm supporting unit 84 move integrally with each other.In arm driving mechanism 85, as circulation belt 85 c is moved in aright or left direction in FIG. 10 by rotating motor 85 a, beltattachment member 85 e attached to circulation belt 85 c moves in theright or left direction in FIG. 10, and as a result, arm supporting unit84 moves rectilinearly in the left and right direction of FIG. 10.Therefore, nozzle supporting arm 82 supported by arm supporting unit 84also moves rectilinearly in the left and right direction of FIG. 10.

In liquid processing apparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, arm driving mechanism 85 is installed outsideprocessing chamber 20 to suppress infiltration of dust generated fromarm driving mechanism 85 into processing chamber 20. The atmosphere inprocessing chamber 20 may be suppressed from reaching arm drivingmechanism 85.

As shown in FIG. 9, among six nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 udescribed above, deionized water supplying arm 82 p, N₂ gas supplyingarm 82 r, and mist of deionized water supplying arm 82 t are installedat the same height level. More specifically, in FIG. 9, nozzlesupporting arms 82 p, 82 r, and 82 t are installed at a height level ofan area surrounded by two-dot chain line A in FIG. 9. Meanwhile, amongsix nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u described above, first chemicalliquid supplying arm 82 q, second chemical liquid supplying arm 82 s,and IPA supplying arm 82 u are also installed at the same height level.More specifically, in FIG. 9, nozzle supporting arms 82 q, 82 s, and 82u are installed at a height level of an area surrounded by two-dot chainline B in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, deionized water supplying arm 82p, N₂ gas supplying arm 82 r, and mist of deionized water supplying arm82 t are installed at positions higher than first chemical liquidsupplying arm 82 q, second chemical liquid supplying arm 82 s, and IPAsupplying arm 82 u.

In liquid processing apparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, when plurality of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82u having different height levels advance into processing chamber 20simultaneously, corresponding nozzle supporting arms are prevented fromcolliding or interfering with each other.

In liquid processing apparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, when drying wafer W, IPA is supplied to wafer W heldby holding unit 21 in processing chamber 20 and thereafter, N₂ gas issupplied to a location of wafer W to which IPA is supplied. In thiscase, N₂ gas supplying arm 82 r and IPA supplying arm 82 u advance intoprocessing chamber 20 simultaneously. Herein, as described above, N₂ gassupplying arm 82 r and IPA supplying arm 82 u have different heightlevels from each other. More specifically, N₂ gas supplying arm 82 r isinstalled at the height level of the area surrounded by two-dot chainline A in FIG. 9, while IPA supplying arm 82 u is installed at theheight level of the area surrounded by two-dot chain line B in FIG. 9.

In processing chamber 20, IPA supplying arm 82 u and N₂ gas supplyingarm 82 r move in processing chamber 20 so that an area on wafer W towhich N₂ gas is ejected from nozzle 82 a installed in N₂ gas supplyingarm 82 r follows an area on wafer W to which IPA is ejected from nozzle82 a installed in IPA supplying arm 82 u. In this case, since N₂ gassupplying arm 82 r and IPA supplying arm 82 u have different heightlevels from each other, arms 82 r and 82 u do not interfere with eachother. Therefore, IPA is supplied to wafer W from nozzle 82 a installedin IPA supplying arm 82 u that advances into processing chamber 20 andthereafter, N₂ gas is supplied to the location on wafer W to which IPAis supplied, from nozzle 82 a installed in N₂ gas supplying arm 82 rthat advances into processing chamber 20.

As another example, at the time of processing wafer W with the acid oralkaline chemical liquid, after the chemical liquid is supplied to waferW held by holding unit 21 in processing chamber 20, deionized water iscontinuously supplied to wafer W without stopping, which is rinsed. Inthis case, first chemical liquid supplying arm 82 q (alternatively,second liquid chemical supplying arm 82 s) and deionized water supplyingarm 82 p advance into processing chamber 20 simultaneously. Herein, asdescribed above, deionized water supplying arm 82 p and first chemicalliquid supplying arm 82 q (alternatively, second chemical liquidsupplying arm 82 s) have different height levels from each other. Morespecifically, deionized water supplying arm 82 p is installed at theheight level of the area surrounded by two-dot chain line A in FIG. 9,while first chemical liquid supplying arm 82 q (alternatively, secondchemical liquid supplying arm 82 s) is installed at the height level ofthe area surrounded by two-dot chain line B in FIG. 9.

In processing chamber 20, deionized water supplying arm 82 p and firstchemical liquid supplying arm 82 q (alternatively, second chemicalliquid supplying arm 82 s) move in processing chamber 20 so as to supplydeionized water to wafer W continuously without stopping after supplyingthe chemical liquid to wafer W held by holding unit 21. In this case,since deionized water supplying arm 82 p and first chemical liquidsupplying arm 82 q (alternatively, second chemical liquid supplying arm82 s) have different height levels from each other, nozzle supportingarms 82 p and 82 q (alternatively, nozzle supporting arms 82 p and 82 s)do not interfere with each other. Therefore, after the chemical liquidis supplied to wafer W from nozzle 82 a installed in first chemicalliquid supplying arm 82 q (alternatively, second chemical liquidsupplying arm 82 s) that advances into processing chamber 20, deionizedwater is continuously supplied from nozzle 82 a installed in deionizedwater supplying arm 82 p that advances into processing chamber 20without stopping, which is rinsed.

As shown in FIG. 10, each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u has adouble pipe structure. More specifically, each of nozzle supporting arms82 p to 82 u is constituted by an internal pipe 82 b and an externalpipe 82 c. Internal pipe 82 b is in communication with nozzle 82 a, andas a result, a fluid is delivered to nozzle 82 a from internal pipe 82b. Internal pipe 82 b is made of, for example, a fluorine-based resin.Internal pipe 82 b is covered with external pipe 82 c and external pipe82 c is formed, for example, by coating a stainless steel pipe with thefluorine-based resin.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, spiral-shaped pipes 83 p to 83 u that are incommunication with each internal pipe 82 b are installed outside nozzlesupporting arms 82 p to 82 u at the rearend sides of nozzle supportingarms 82 p to 82 u, respectively. Each of spiral-shaped pipes 83 p to 83u is made of a flexible material. Specifically, each of spiral-shapedpipes 83 p to 83 u is formed, for example, by bending a pipe such as thefluorine-based resin in a spiral shape. As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 10,when nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u corresponding to spiral-shapedpipes 83 p to 83 u are at the retreat position, each of spiral-shapedpipes 83 p to 83 u is configured to have a spiral shape on a plane (thatis, a plane extending in the vertical direction) perpendicular to adirection in which nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u extend. The fluidsuch as the chemical liquid is delivered to each of spiral-shaped pipes83 p to 83 u to eject the fluid downward from nozzle 82 a by passingthrough internal pipe 82 b installed in each of nozzle supporting arms82 p to 82 u. Since each of spiral-shaped pipes 83 p to 83 u is made ofthe flexible material, when nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u advanceinto processing chamber 20, corresponding spiral-shaped pipes 83 p to 83u are transformed from the spiral shape shown in FIG. 8 to become aconical spiral shape (a spiral shape similar to a shape in which thefront end gradually becomes thin).

In liquid processing apparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u are rotatablearound longitudinal axes along movement directions of correspondingnozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, arotating mechanism 86 is installed in each of nozzle supporting arms 82p to 82 u and each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u is rotated inan arrow direction of FIG. 8 by rotating mechanism 86. By rotating eachof nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u, the direction of nozzle 82 a maybe changed from a downward direction as shown in FIG. 10 to a differentdirection. Since each of spiral-shaped pipes 83 p to 83 u has the spiralshape and is made of the flexible material, even when each of nozzlesupporting arms 82 p to 82 u is rotated by rotating mechanism 86,corresponding spiral-shaped pipes 83 p to 83 u are smoothly transformedaccording to rotation of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u, and as aresult, the rotation of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u is notinterfered by spiral-shaped pipes 83 p to 83 u, respectively.

When the fluid is supplied to wafer W held by holding unit 21 by nozzle82 a, rotating mechanism 86 selectively rotates one of nozzle supportingarms 82 p to 82 u that supports nozzle 82 a around the longitudinal axisthereof. Specifically, when nozzle 82 a is close to the periphery ofwafer W held by holding unit 21, nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 urotate so that the direction of nozzle 82 a is inclined obliquely in thedownward direction. As a result, on the periphery of wafer W held byholding unit 21, the fluid is ejected obliquely downward from nozzle 82a to suppress spattering of a liquid on the periphery of wafer W withrespect to the fluid supplied from nozzle 82 a to wafer W, specifically,the liquid such as the chemical liquid. As described above, when nozzle82 a is positioned at the center of wafer W and nozzle 82 a ispositioned on the periphery of wafer W, rotating mechanism 86 may changethe direction of nozzle 82 a.

Rotating mechanism 86 rotates nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u aroundthe longitudinal axis so that nozzle 82 a is positioned in a directionother than the downward direction, specifically, for example, an upwarddirection when each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u moves betweenthe advance position and the retreat position. As a result, when nozzlesupporting arms 82 p to 82 u are moved, the liquid such as the chemicalliquid can be prevented from flowing down from nozzle 82 a.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, in each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82u, arm cleaning unit 88 that cleans nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 uis installed to be fixed to each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u.Each arm cleaning unit 88 is configured to clean corresponding nozzlesupporting arms 82 p to 82 u when corresponding nozzle supporting arms82 p to 82 u move. A cleaning timing of each of nozzle supporting arms82 p to 82 u by each arm cleaning unit 88 may be arbitrarily set andspecifically, each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u is cleaned,for example, every processing, once a day or once a month.

The configuration of arm cleaning unit 88 will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 10, a through-hole throughwhich nozzle supporting arm 82 (including 82 p to 82 u) passes isprovided in arm cleaning unit 88 to extend in the horizontal direction(the left and right direction in FIG. 10). A cross section of thethrough-hole is slightly larger than the cross section of nozzlesupporting arm 82. A receiving part 88 a that receives the cleaningliquid is installed in the through-hole. A cleaning liquid supplyingpipe 88 b is connected to receiving part 88 a and the cleaning liquid issupplied from cleaning liquid supplying pipe 88 b to receiving part 88a. When the cleaning liquid is supplied to receiving part 88 a, a liquidfilm is diffused on the outer peripheral surface of nozzle supportingarm 82 in receiving part 88 a. In arm cleaning unit 88, correspondingnozzle supporting arm 82 moves while a part of nozzle supporting arm 82(including 82 p to 82 u) contacts the cleaning liquid received inreceiving part 88 a to clean nozzle supporting arm 82.

In arm cleaning unit 88, suction mechanisms 88 c and 88 d are installedat a front position closer to processing chamber 20 than receiving part88 a in the movement direction (the left and right direction in FIG. 10)of nozzle supporting arm 82 and a rear position further from processingchamber 20 than receiving part 88 a, respectively. Suction mechanisms 88c and 88 d suction and drain the cleaning liquid of as much as an amountthat leaks when the cleaning liquid received in receiving part 88 aleaks to the outside from receiving part 88 a. The suction mechanismneed not to be installed at both the front position and the rearposition than receiving part 88 a in the movement direction of nozzlesupporting arm 82 and instead, the suction mechanism may be installed atany one side of the front position and the rear position further thanreceiving part 88 a in the movement direction of nozzle supporting arm82.

After nozzle supporting arm 82 has been cleaned, suction mechanisms 88 cand 88 d suck in liquid droplets attached to nozzle supporting arm 82 todry nozzle supporting arm 82.

In arm cleaning unit 88, a drain part 88 e that drains the liquid suchas the chemical liquid that remains in internal pipe 82 b of nozzlesupporting arm 82 is installed at a rear position further than receivingpart 88 a in the movement direction of nozzle supporting arm 82. A drainpipe 88 f is connected to drain part 88 e and the liquid delivered todrain part 88 e is drained through drain pipe 88 f. Nozzle supportingarm 82 moves so that nozzle 82 a is positioned just above drain part 88e to discharge the liquid such as the chemical liquid that remains ininternal pipe 82 b of nozzle supporting arm 82 to drain part 88 e fromnozzle 82 a. Even when the liquid-processing of wafer W is terminatedand thereafter, the liquid remains in internal pipe 82 b of nozzlesupporting arm 82, drain part 88 e is installed to drain the liquid thatremains in internal pipe 82 b from internal pipe 82 b in advance at thetime of performing subsequent liquid processing by using nozzle 82 ainstalled in nozzle supporting arm 82. In particular, when ahigh-temperature chemical liquid is supplied to wafer W from nozzle 82a, the liquid that remains in internal pipe 82 b of nozzle supportingarm 82 is cooled in some cases, and as a result, the remaining cooledliquid may be discharged from internal pipe 82 b in advance by drainpart 88 e.

Drain part 88 e may be installed at the front position further thanreceiving part 88 a, instead of the rear position further than receivingpart 88 a in the movement direction of nozzle supporting arm 82. Even inthis case, nozzle supporting arm 82 moves so that nozzle 82 a ispositioned just above drain part 88 e to discharge the chemical liquidfrom nozzle 82 a, and as a result, the liquid such as the chemicalliquid that remains in internal pipe 82 b of nozzle supporting arm 82 isdelivered to drain part 88 e from nozzle 82 a.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, each arm cleaning unit 88 corresponding toeach of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u is installed to the outerside of wall 90 installed between processing chamber 20 and arm standbyunit 80. As a result, each arm cleaning unit 88 is installed outside cupperipheral case 50. Each arm cleaning unit 88 may be attached to theinner side of wall 90 rather than the outer side of wall 90. In thiscase, each arm cleaning unit 88 is positioned in a region betweenrotational cup 40 and arm standby unit 80.

In liquid processing apparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, arm cleaning unit 88 may clean the entire nozzlesupporting arm 82 or only a part of nozzle supporting arm 82. Armcleaning unit 88 cleans the entire circumference of nozzle supportingarm 82, but is not limited thereto.

In liquid processing apparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, when each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 ustands by in arm standby unit 80, each of nozzle supporting arm coversopening 88 p of arm cleaning unit 88 of wall 90 installed betweenprocessing chamber 20 and arm standby unit 80, as shown in FIG. 2 or 10.As a result, each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u serves as a lidthat covers opening 88 p of arm cleaning unit 88 of wall 90 to isolatethe area in processing chamber 20 and the area in arm standby unit 80from each other.

Each of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u may cover even opening 50 mof cup peripheral case 50 which is at the upper position shown in FIG.5. As a result, the area in cup peripheral case 50 and the area in armstandby unit 80 may be isolated from each other.

Next, an operation of liquid processing apparatus 10 having theconfiguration will be described.

First, lift-pin plate 22 and processing liquid supplying pipe 28 inholding unit 21 are moved from the position shown in FIG. 4 upward andshutter 94 installed in opening 94 a of processing chamber 20 isretreated from opening 94 a to open opening 94 a. Wafer W is transferredinto processing chamber 20 from the outside of liquid processingapparatus 10 through opening 94 a by transfer arm 104 and placed on liftpins 23 of lift-pin plate 22 and thereafter, transfer arm 104 retreatsfrom processing chamber 20. In this case, cup peripheral case 50 isdisposed at the lower position as shown in FIG. 4. Each of nozzlesupporting arms 82 is positioned at the retreat position of retreatingfrom processing chamber 20. That is, each of nozzle supporting arms 82stands by in arm standby unit 80. The gas such as clean air is deliveredto processing chamber 20 from FFU 70 in the down-flow mode continuouslyand exhausted by exhaust unit 54 to substitute the atmosphere inprocessing chamber 20.

Next, lift-pin plate 22 and processing liquid supplying pipe 28 aremoved downward to be positioned at the lower position shown in FIG. 4.In this case, each of holding members 25 installed on holding plate 26supports wafer W on lift pins 23 to slightly separate wafer W from liftpins 23.

Thereafter or during lowering lift-pin plate 22, cup peripheral case 50is moved to the upper side by driving mechanism 50 b installed in cupperipheral case 50 to position cup peripheral case 50 at the upperposition shown in FIG. 5. After cup peripheral case 50 is moved to theupper position, one or plural nozzle supporting arms 82 of six nozzlesupporting arms 82 that stand by in arm standby unit 80 advance intoprocessing chamber 20 through opening 88 p of arm cleaning unit 88 ofwall 90 and one of openings 50 m of cup peripheral case 50 (see two-dotchain line of FIG. 5). In this case, nozzle supporting arm 82 isrectilinearly moved by arm driving mechanism 85.

Holding plate 26 and lift-pin plate 22 in holding unit 21 are rotated.As a result, wafer W held by each of holding members 25 of holding plate26 is also rotated.

Thereafter, first, wafer W held by each of holding members 25 of holdingplate 26 is processed with the acid chemical liquid and subsequentlyrinsed. Specifically, in the state as shown in FIG. 5, both firstchemical liquid supplying arm 82 q and deionized water supplying arm 82p among six nozzle supporting arms 82 that stand by in arm standby unit80 advance simultaneously into processing chamber 20 through opening 88p of arm cleaning unit 88 of wall 90 and opening 50 m of cup peripheralcase 50, respectively. In this case, since first chemical liquidsupplying arm 82 q and deionized water supplying arm 82 p have differentheight levels from each other, nozzle supporting arms 82 q and 82 p donot interfere with each other.

While wafer W is being rotated, the acid chemical liquid is suppliedonto the top surface of wafer W from nozzle 82 a of first chemicalliquid supplying arm 82 q that advances into processing chamber 20. Inthis case, the acid chemical liquid may be supplied toward the bottomsurface (rear surface) of wafer W from processing liquid supplying pipe28. Therefore, the acid chemical liquid is supplied onto at least thetop surface of wafer W to process wafer W with the chemical liquid. Theacid chemical liquid supplied to wafer W is delivered and recovered to,for example, first processing liquid recovering tank 46 a among fourprocessing liquid recovering tanks 46 a, 46 b, 46 c, and 46 d. When thechemical liquid processing is performed as described above, deionizedwater supplying arm 82 p stands by in processing chamber 20 so thatnozzle 82 a of deionized water supplying arm 82 p is positioned slightlyat a position retreating from a ejecting position of the acid chemicalliquid by nozzle 82 a of first chemical liquid supplying arm 82 q.Herein, when deionized water supplying arm 82 p stands by, the deionizedwater can be prevented from flowing down from nozzle 82 a of deionizedwater supplying arm 82 p during the chemical liquid processing byrotating deionized water supplying arm 82 p so that nozzle 82 a ispositioned in a direction other than the downward direction,specifically, for example, the upward direction.

After the acid chemical liquid has been supplied to wafer W held by eachof holding members 25 of holding plate 26, deionized water is suppliedto wafer W continuously without stopping. Specifically, after the acidchemical liquid has been supplied to wafer W from nozzle 82 a installedin first chemical liquid supplying arm 82 q that advances intoprocessing chamber 20, deionized water is continuously supplied to waferW from nozzle 82 a installed in deionized water supplying arm 82 p thatadvances into processing chamber 20 without stopping. Deionized watersupplied to wafer W is delivered and recovered to, for example, thirdprocessing liquid recovering tank 46 c among four processing liquidrecovering tanks 46 a, 46 b, 46 c, and 46 d. Therefore, wafer W isprocessed in cup peripheral case 50 with the acid chemical liquid andthereafter, wafer W is rinsed. In this case, since deionized watersupplying arm 82 p and first chemical liquid supplying arm 82 q havedifferent height levels from each other in processing chamber 20, nozzlesupporting arms 82 q and 82 p do not interfere with each other. When theprocessing of wafer W with the acid chemical liquid and the rinsing ofwafer W are terminated, first chemical liquid supplying arm 82 q thathas advanced into processing chamber 20 retreats from processing chamber20 to stand by in arm standby unit 80. Meanwhile, deionized watersupplying arm 82 p remains in processing chamber 20. While the rinsingis performed, second chemical liquid supplying arm 82 s advances intoprocessing chamber 20 through opening 88 p of arm cleaning unit 88 ofwall 90 and one of openings 50 m of cup peripheral case 50. Morespecifically, when the rinsing is performed as described above, secondchemical liquid supplying arm 82 s stands by in processing chamber 20 sothat nozzle 82 a of second chemical liquid supplying arm 82 s ispositioned slightly at a position retreating from a ejecting position ofdeionized water by nozzle 82 a of deionized water supplying arm 82 p.

Thereafter, wafer W held by each of holding members 25 of holding plate26 is processed with the alkaline chemical liquid and thereafter,rinsed. Specifically, the processing of wafer W with the alkalinechemical liquid and the rinsing of wafer W are performed by secondchemical liquid supplying arm 82 s and deionized water supplying arm 82p that advance into processing chamber 20. In this case, since secondchemical liquid supplying arm 82 s and deionized water supplying arm 82p have different height levels from each other, nozzle supporting arms82 s and 82 p do not interfere with each other.

Specifically, while wafer W is being rotated, the alkaline chemicalliquid is supplied onto the top surface of wafer W from nozzle 82 a ofsecond chemical liquid supplying arm 82 s that advances into processingchamber 20. In this case, the alkaline chemical liquid may be suppliedtoward the bottom surface (rear surface) of wafer W from processingliquid supplying pipe 28. Therefore, the alkaline chemical liquid issupplied onto at least the top surface of wafer W to process wafer Wwith the chemical liquid. The alkaline chemical liquid supplied to waferW is delivered and recovered to, for example, second processing liquidrecovering tank 46 b among four processing liquid recovering tanks 46 a,46 b, 46 c, and 46 d. When the chemical liquid processing is performedas described above, deionized water supplying arm 82 p stands by inprocessing chamber 20 so that nozzle 82 a of deionized water supplyingarm 82 p is positioned slightly at a position retreating from a ejectingposition of the alkaline chemical liquid by nozzle 82 a of secondchemical liquid supplying arm 82 s.

After the alkaline chemical liquid has been supplied to wafer W held byeach of holding members 25 of holding plate 26, deionized water issupplied to wafer W continuously without stopping. Specifically, afterthe alkaline chemical liquid is supplied to wafer W from nozzle 82 ainstalled in second chemical liquid supplying arm 82 s that advancesinto processing chamber 20, deionized water is continuously supplied towafer W from nozzle 82 a installed in deionized water supplying arm 82 pthat advances into processing chamber 20 without stopping. Deionizedwater supplied to wafer W is delivered and recovered to, for example,third processing liquid recovering tank 46 c among four processingliquid recovering tanks 46 a, 46 b, 46 c, and 46 d. Therefore, wafer Wis processed in cup peripheral case 50 with the alkaline chemical liquidand rinsed thereafter. When the processing of wafer W with the alkalinechemical liquid and the rinsing of wafer W are terminated, secondchemical liquid supplying arm 82 s and deionized water supplying arm 82p that have advanced to processing chamber 20 retreat from processingchamber 20 to stand by in arm standby unit 80. While the rinsing isperformed as described above, IPA supplying arm 82 u advances intoprocessing chamber 20 through opening 88 p of arm cleaning unit 88 ofwall 90 and one of openings 50 m of cup peripheral case 50. Morespecifically, when the rinsing is performed as described above, IPAsupplying arm 82 u stands by in processing chamber 20 so that nozzle 82a of corresponding IPA supplying arm 82 u is positioned slightly at aposition retreating from an ejecting position of deionized water bynozzle 82 a of deionized water supplying arm 82 p.

Thereafter, wafer W held by each of holding members 25 of holding plate26 is dried with IPA. Specifically, N₂ gas supplying arm 82 r among sixnozzle supporting arms 82 that stand by in arm standby unit 80 advancesinto processing chamber 20 through opening 88 p of arm cleaning unit 88of wall 90 and one of openings 50 m of cup peripheral case 50.Therefore, each of N₂ gas supplying arm 82 r and IPA supplying arm 82 uadvances into processing chamber 20. In this case, since N₂ gassupplying arm 82 r and IPA supplying arm 82 u have different heightlevels from each other, nozzle supporting arms 82 r and 82 u do notinterfere with each other.

While wafer W is being rotated, IPA is supplied to wafer W from nozzle82 a installed in IPA supplying arm 82 u that advances into processingchamber 20 and thereafter, N₂ gas is supplied to the location on wafer Wto which IPA is supplied from nozzle 82 a installed in N₂ gas supplyingarm 82 r that advances into processing chamber 20. Specifically, inprocessing chamber 20, IPA is supplied to the center of wafer W bynozzle 82 a installed in IPA supplying arm 82 u. Thereafter, IPAsupplying arm 82 u moves to the periphery from the center of wafer W andIPA supplying arm 82 u and N₂ gas supplying arm 82 r move on wafer W sothat an area on wafer W to which gas is ejected by nozzle 82 a installedin N₂ gas supplying arm 82 r follows an area on wafer W to which IPA issupplied. Therefore, N₂ gas is immediately supplied to the location onthe surface of wafer W to which IPA is supplied to appropriately drywafer W. IPA supplied to wafer W is delivered and recovered to, forexample, fourth processing liquid recovering tank 46 d among fourprocessing liquid recovering tanks 46 a, 46 b, 46 c, and 46 d. When thedrying of wafer W is terminated, IPA supplying arm 82 u and N₂ gassupplying arm 82 r that have advanced into processing chamber 20 retreatfrom processing chamber 20 to stand by in arm standby unit 80.

When the drying of the wafer is terminated, cup peripheral case 50 ismoved downward by driving mechanism 50 b installed in cup peripheralcase 50 to position cup peripheral case 50 at the lower position asshown in FIG. 4.

Thereafter, lift-pin plate 22 and processing liquid supplying pipe 28 inholding unit 21 are moved upward from the position as shown in FIG. 4.In this case, wafer W held by holding members 25 of holding plate 26 istransferred onto lift pins 23 of lift-pin plate 22. Next, shutter 94installed in opening 94 a of processing chamber 20 retreats from opening94 a to open opening 94 a. Transfer arm 104 advances into processingchamber 20 through opening 94 a from the outside of liquid processingapparatus 10 and wafer W on lift pin 23 of lift-pin plate 22 istransferred to transfer arm 104. Wafer W transferred to transfer arm 104is transferred to the outside of liquid processing apparatus 10. Assuch, a series of the liquid-processing of wafer W is completed.

Each of nozzle supporting arms 82 may be cleaned by arm cleaning unit 88when nozzle supporting arm 82 is moved to the retreat position in armstandby unit 80 from processing chamber 20. Each of nozzle supportingarms 82 may be cleaned after each processing of wafer W or periodically.

As described above, according to liquid processing apparatus 10 of theexemplary embodiment, the plurality of nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82u are installed and a first group of nozzle supporting arms 82 p, 82 r,and 82 t have different height levels from a second group of nozzlesupporting arms 82 q, 82 s, and 82 u. As a result, two or more nozzlesupporting arms 82 p to 82 u can be prevented from colliding with eachother even though the two or more nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 uadvance into processing chamber 20.

In liquid processing apparatus 10 of the exemplary embodiment, pluralityof nozzle supporting arms 82 p to 82 u may advance into processingchamber 20 simultaneously.

Specifically, when N₂ gas is supplied to a location on wafer W to whichIPA is supplied after the IPA has been supplied to wafer W held byholding unit 21, IPA supplying arm 82 u and N₂ gas supplying arm 82 rmay advance into processing chamber 20 simultaneously. Therefore, N₂ gasis successively supplied to the location on the surface of wafer W towhich the IPA has been supplied to appropriately dry wafer W.

When deionized water is supplied to wafer W successively after an acidor alkaline chemical liquid has been supplied to wafer W held by holdingunit 21, first chemical liquid supplying arm 82 q (alternatively, secondchemical liquid supplying arm 82 s) and deionized water supplying arm 82p may advance into processing chamber 20. As a result, the supply of thedeionized water to wafer W may be initiated right after the supply ofthe chemical liquid is completed. That is, rinsing process may becontinuously performed after processing with a chemical liquid withoutdrying wafer W.

When wafer W is dried successively after deionized water has beensupplied to wafer W held by holding unit 21, deionized water supplyingarm 82 p and IPA supplying arm 82 u may advance into processing chamber20 simultaneously. As a result, the supply of the IPA to wafer W may beinitiated right after the supply of the deionized water is completed.That is, drying process with IPA may be continuously performed afterrinsing process without drying wafer W.

The liquid processing apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure is not limited to the aspect described above, butmay be modified in various ways. For example, the processing liquid maybe supplied to only the top surface of wafer W by nozzle 82 a of nozzlesupporting arm 82 rather than supplying the processing liquid to boththe top surface and the bottom surface of wafer W by nozzle 82 a ofnozzle supporting arm 82 that advances into processing chamber 20 andprocessing liquid supplying pipe 28.

A plurality of nozzles 82 a may be installed with respect to one nozzlesupporting arm 82.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments ofthe present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intendedto be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims.

1. A liquid processing apparatus, comprising: a processing chamberhaving a substrate holding unit configured to hold a substrate and a cupdisposed around the substrate holding unit; a nozzle configured tosupply a fluid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; anozzle supporting arm configured to support the nozzle and be movablehorizontally between an advance position advancing into the processingchamber and a retreat position retreating from the processing chamber;an arm standby unit installed adjacent to the processing chamber andconfigured for the nozzle supporting arm retreating from the processingchamber to stand by; and a wall installed between the processing chamberand the arm standby unit to extend vertically, wherein a plurality ofnozzle supporting arms are installed and at least one nozzle supportingarm has a different height level from other nozzle supporting arms. 2.The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofnozzle supporting arms having different height levels advance into theprocessing chamber simultaneously.
 3. The liquid processing apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein a first nozzle supporting arm that supports a firstnozzle for supplying a first fluid has a different height level from asecond nozzle supporting arm that supports a second nozzle for supplyinga second fluid of a different type from the first fluid, and when thesecond fluid is supplied to a location on a substrate to which the firstfluid is supplied after the first fluid has been supplied to thesubstrate held by the substrate holding unit, the first nozzlesupporting arm and the second nozzle supporting arm advance into theprocessing chamber simultaneously.
 4. The liquid processing apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein the first fluid is IPA, the second fluid is gas, andthe IPA is supplied to the substrate held by the substrate holding unitas the first fluid, and thereafter, the gas is supplied as the secondfluid to a location on the substrate to which the IPA is supplied to drythe substrate.
 5. The liquid processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein afirst nozzle supporting arm that supports a first nozzle for supplying afirst fluid has a different height level from a second nozzle supportingarm that supports a second nozzle for supplying a second fluid of adifferent type from the first fluid, and when the second fluid issupplied to a substrate continuously after the first fluid has beensupplied to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, the firstnozzle supporting arm and the second nozzle supporting arm advance intothe processing chamber simultaneously.
 6. The liquid processingapparatus of claim 5, wherein the first fluid is a chemical liquid andthe second fluid is water, and the chemical liquid and the water aresuccessively supplied to the substrate held by the substrate holdingunit so that a chemical liquid processing and a rinsing processing areperformed successively with the substrate.
 7. The liquid processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein each nozzle supporting arm is configuredto linearly move between the inside of the processing chamber and thearm standby unit.
 8. A liquid processing method, comprising: holding asubstrate by a substrate holding unit installed in a processing chamber;advancing a nozzle supporting arm that supports a nozzle into theprocessing chamber; and supplying a fluid to the substrate held by thesubstrate holding unit by using the nozzle of the nozzle supporting armthat advances into the processing chamber, wherein a plurality of nozzlesupporting arms are installed and a first nozzle supporting arm thatsupports a first nozzle for supplying a first fluid has a differentheight level from a second nozzle supporting arm that supports a secondnozzle for supplying a second fluid of a different type from the firstfluid, and when the first fluid is supplied to the substrate held by thesubstrate holding unit, the first nozzle supporting arm and the secondnozzle supporting arm advance into the processing chamber simultaneouslyso that the second nozzle is positioned around a fluid dischargingposition by the first nozzle.